A a second tug boat has reached a disabled cruise ship in the Gulf of Mexico and is helping tow it to Mobile, Alabama.

More than 3,000 passengers and a crew of more than 1,000 aboard the Carnival Cruise Lines ship Carnival Triumph have had limited services since a fire in an engine room on Sunday.

The original plan was to tow it to Progreso, Mexico, but currents pushed it north.

No injuries have been reported.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Richard Brahm in Houston says the ship was about 270 miles south of Mobile as of Tuesday morning.

It is expected to arrive there on Thursday.

The ship has been operating on back-up generator power since Sunday.

The ship left Galveston, Texas, on Thursday.

Other Carnival cruise ships have been resupplying the stranded vessel.

Family members waiting for relatives to arrive home were informed by Carnival about the situation. Some, like Melinda Ramos, said her father was laughing when he briefly called to update her on the situation.

"He might be completely joking, but he said they're sleeping in tents outside," the 19-year-old daughter of Mary and Matt Ramos told The Houston Chronicle.

But Brent Nutt, of Angleton, Texas, said his wife Bethany was crying when they spoke.

"They have no running water. They have no way to use the bathroom," Mr Nutt told KTRK-TV in Houston.

A similar situation occurred on a Carnival cruise ship in November 2010. That vessel was also stranded for three days in the Pacific with 4,500 people aboard after a fire in the engine room.

Carnival said it had cancelled the Triumph's next two scheduled voyages. Passengers aboard the stranded ship will also receive a full refund, the statement added.